Post Tagged with: "rural"

Marcellina is one of hundreds of Timor Leste’s traditional midwives. Every day, she walks between ten to fifteen kilometres assisting expecting and young mothers with antenatal and neonatal care in and around the remote mountainous village of Asulau. Her time-honoured techniques have been passed down through generations. In recent years, she has incorporated contemporary practices learnt through the Dili based Bairo Pite Clinic and Japanese NGO, Frontline. On 2 July 2011, Marcellina was called to assist Eliza Soares, 25, give birth to her fifth daughter. The birthing process was far from smooth. A breech birth three hours from the capital meant that both the young mother and baby were at serious risk to the small South East Asian countries exceptionally high infant and maternal mortality rate. Using contemporary medical […]

Merv Williamson has been photographed many times. Various local papers and rural magazines have told his story as the last dairy farmer in the Whittlesea area. His kitchen wall is covered with photocopy’s of images of him and Mary, posing with members of his herd of fresian cows, all of which have names. However he shifts uncomfortably in his couch as the camera is switched to video mode. “I wouldn’t want your job for quid’s he mutters, before cryptically adding, “I’m not too flash with the technology, not really a TV person you see!” Merv and Mary Williamson are old-fashioned and they like it that way. Born of an era where hard work and toil was worn like a badge of honour, the 77 and 79 year olds still rise […]